Grammy Award winner Terence Blanchard today releases Magnetic, his first album since 2009 and what a beautiful melange it is.

The 10-track project features a diversity of sound easily moving between ballad to bop to electronic. Joining him on the record are band members Kendrick Scott, Brice Winston, Fabian Almazan, and Joshua Crumbly. Some marvelous guests grace the album as well, including the legendary Ron Carter as well as Blue Note label-mates Ravi Coltrane and Lionel Loueke.

For a taste of the album, take a listen to “Magnetic” below and watch a making of the album studio session after the jump.

Terence will be performing at the Jazz Standard in NYC tomorrow, May 29. Enter our contest below to win tickets!

And on June 15 through June 30, Terence will be premiering his first opera! Titled Champion, the St. Louis based production will follow the story of boxing champion Emile Griffith. More on tour dates after the jump.

Happy International Jazz Day, friends! The holiday started off with a launch concert at UNESCO HQ in Paris on April 27 (view above) and a sunrise concert today from Congo Square in New Orleans. We are beyond enthused to share that the conclusion of these worldwide events will be held in New York City!

The epic sunset concert will be tonight, April 30, at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in NYC with George Duke serving as Musical Director. The co-hosts of the event will include Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman and Quincy Jones. The event will be streamed live.

Jazz is undergoing changes of monumental magnitude and importance. Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense is a documentary film that captures the metamorphosis of jazz by showcasing the words, music, and spirit of the artists that are paving the way for an unprecedented musical revolution. Featuring Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Medeski Martin & Wood, Russell Gunn, Dianne Reeves, Ravi Coltrane, Nicholas Payton, and many more. For a taste, grab some downloads and watch some videos we posted a few weeks ago.

When you ask most people, “name a jazz musician today,” 9 out of 10 times you will get the name of someone who is already dead. But jazz today is undergoing some monumental changes and in this documentary film — Icons Among Us: jazz in the present tense, by filmmakers Michael Rivoira, Lars Larson and Peter J. Vogt, the musicians take stage front and center to explain the nature of this metamorphosis. Featuring Esperanza Spalding, Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Medeski Martin & Wood, Brian Blade and The Fellowship Band, Russell Gunn, Dianne Reeves, Terence Blanchard, Bill Frisell, Ravi Coltrane, Nicholas Payton, Donald Harrison, Jr., Wayne Shorter and many more. This documentary brings you the rebellious, young, and gifted, responsible for quietly revolutionizing jazz under our noses.

Among those artists participating in the sound revolution is Donald Harrison, Jr. who is making bold moves in the jazz world experimenting to create some very unique compositions. Check out the title track of his latest album Quantum Leap and make sure you also take a peek at the track “NY 2000″ featured on the film.